1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to plumbing devices used to clear drains and, more specifically, to a plumbing device that uses a compressed gas to provide a sudden burst of energy to forcibly act against an obstruction that may interfere with the proper function of a drain.
2. Description of the Related Art
Clogged drains are a problem that affects millions of households and businesses each year. It is a situation that often occurs due to obstructions along the flow path of the drain by items such as paper, soap residue, hair, lotion, and stringy, fibrous waste. While there are a number of plumbing devices that offer the promise of unstopping or unclogging drains, none offer the ability to clear a clogged pipe with the efficiency, ease, affordability, and force of the present invention.
When a drain becomes clogged, there are a number of known approaches for clearing the obstruction. One of the most common methods of treating clogged drains is to use a commercial drain cleaner. However, often these drain cleaners are some of the most dangerous chemicals found in a home or business. For instance, these products commonly use lye or acid, which can harm health, the wastewater stream, and pipes.
While there are alternatives to commercial drain cleaners, the effectiveness of these alternatives generally requires an appreciable amount of manual force or the sacrifice of flexibility and mobility. For instance, some devices use a simple force cup plunger, or a bellows-style plunger, to open a clogged sink drain by repeatedly pumping the plunger up and down directly over the clogged drain. While these plungers avoid the caustic chemicals associated with drain cleaners, they are generally less effective and require a significant amount of manual labor. As one may appreciate, the need to pump the plunger in a repetitive manner may cause a person to become quite exhausted and, indeed, may be beyond the ability of some individuals. In addition, depending on the size or number of obstructions, the use of manual labor may not be sufficient to dislodge the obstruction from the drain.
There are some plungers that contemplate the use of a compressed gas to forcibly remove obstructions clogging a drain. These compressed gas plungers, however, are relatively expensive and may be unaffordable to many individuals or households. In addition, while such plungers may not require the same amount of manual labor as a simple force cup plunger or a bellows-style plunger, existing compressed gas plungers generally do not harness and effectively release all of the available energy provided by the pressurized gas.
It has been proposed that using a sudden burst of gas pressure is a preferable way to clear a clogged drain. However, plumbing devices that employ this method are often bulky and generally take a form different from a traditional plunger, which can make such devices difficult to use and inconvenient to store. In addition, the size and shape of these devices limits the flexibility of their use in a number of different but common plumbing scenarios, such as a clogged toilet, stopped tub, and a clogged sink drain, particularly in tight quarters or where space is limited. Furthermore, some of these devices use a scored sheet metal diaphragm, or a metal disk having a non-uniform thickness, for storing a predetermined quantity of gas and releasing the gas automatically at a predetermined pressure. These metal disks generally require additional manufacturing steps which result in higher costs.
Accordingly, there is a need for a plumbing device that rapidly and effectively clears obstructed drains, that is environmentally friendly, and does not require the use of harsh chemicals. In addition, there is a need for a plumbing device that is easy to use, does not require a significant amount of manual labor, and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Furthermore, there is a need for a plumbing device in the form of a plunger that harnesses the energy of a compressed gas and efficiently directs the gas's energy in a sudden burst to expel an obstruction in a clogged drain. The present invention satisfies these and other needs and provides further related advantages.